Boeing Escapes Criminal Prosecution Over Deadly 737 Max Crashes
A federal judge in the United States has dismissed a felony criminal conspiracy case against aerospace giant Boeing, relating to two catastrophic 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people. The decision has provoked fury and profound disappointment among the families of the victims, who have long campaigned for corporate accountability.
A Mother's Anguish and the Quest for Justice
Nadia Milleron, whose 24-year-old daughter Samya Stumo died in the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 disaster, expressed her outrage to the Daily Mail. 'If you never have accountability, then you're going to have more crashes,' Milleron stated. She argued that true change would only come if executives faced prison time, saying, 'Because once you put executives in jail, you change the incentive. Yes, you want to make money, but you don't want to go to jail.'
Her daughter, Samya, was an accomplished public health professional working for ThinkWell, an organisation dedicated to achieving universal healthcare in developing countries. 'For being 24, she had a job that would usually be for someone in their 30s,' Milleron said, highlighting the tragic loss of a promising life.
The Details of the Dismissed Case and the Crashes
The legal case centred on one count of defrauding the US government, alleging that Boeing concealed faults with the 737 Max's flight control system. This system was linked to two fatal accidents:
- Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea on October 29, 2018, killing all 189 people on board.
- Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed six minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa on March 10, 2019, claiming 157 lives.
Judge Reed O’Connor accepted a motion from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to drop the charge, based on a non-prosecution agreement first proposed in May. This agreement requires Boeing to pay $1.1 billion in fines, over $455 million to enhance its safety and compliance programmes, and $445 million for the victims' families.
Legal Controversy and Family Outrage
Despite approving the dismissal, Judge O’Connor's ruling revealed significant misgivings. He agreed with the families that the agreement 'fails to secure the necessary accountability to ensure the safety of the flying public' and 'disregards the need for Boeing to be subject to independent monitoring.'
However, he concluded that rejecting the DOJ's motion would constitute judicial overreach, stating, 'poor discretion may not be countered with judicial overreach.'
The DOJ defended its position, stating the agreement 'provides finality for the victims and requires Boeing to act now.' This claim was met with scorn by Milleron, who pointed out that in 2022, DOJ lawyers argued that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was the principal victim, not the families who lost loved ones.
'I want accountability. You can give me as much money as you want,' Milleron said. 'What use is that if more planes fall out of the sky. I want to prevent other families from having this grief.'
Ongoing Legal Battles and Public Warning
The plaintiff's legal team has announced plans to appeal the ruling. Tracy Brammeier of Clifford Law Offices said, 'The judge recognizes there is a miscarriage of justice... Unfortunately, he feels the power to right this wrong is limited by legal precedent.'
While most civil suits against Boeing have been settled out of court, the first trial concerning a victim from the Ethiopian Airlines crash began recently. Milleron and her husband have their own pending civil case.
In the wake of the dismissal, Milleron issued a stark warning to the public: 'It's just so unfair that she had no choice. But now people have a choice. Avoid Boeing planes.' The dismissal of the criminal case marks a pivotal moment in the long-running saga, leaving families to continue their fight for justice through alternative legal avenues.
